Living, moving and eating well in Portland, Oregon

Pumpkin and winter squash are among my favorite fall foods! They taste great savory and sweet, and can be made a variety of ways. They are actually starches I can eat right now too, as I currently need to steer clear of any sort of yam, sweet potato or regular potato to continue healing.

Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this tasty fall-inspired dessert. Let me know know what you think, especially about the date caramel!

October 12, 2016 update: watch this replay of me making these bars on KATU Afternoon Live here in Portland!

Mix coconut oil, honey, pumpkin and spices together in a small saucepan on the stove over low heat.

After several minutes, once the ingredients are mixed together well, remove from heat and mix in the sunflower seed or almond butter and vanilla. Stir until everything is combined.

Pour into an 8×8 pan or an 8 or 9-inch round baking pan. Place in the freezer to set.

Meanwhile, get going on the caramel. Add the softened dates to the food processor, along with the water, 4 Tbsp of the coconut milk, sea salt and vanilla. Pulse to combine. If mixture still seems a bit too thick or chunky, add the remaining 1 Tbsp of coconut milk and blend again. Please know, it’s not going to have the same texture as traditional caramel.

Take your pumpkin layer out of the freezer after 45-60 minutes and top with the date caramel. Place back in the freezer to set further. Store in the refrigerator (or freezer if you like a more solid/frozen bar – it’s good either way!)

Reblogged this on eat. drink. & be paleo. and commented:
my mouth is drooling, and I just had to share… this will definitely be one to aide my pumpkin obsession (an ex-boyfriend once nicknamed me “pumpkin” after realizing that I had a problem…)
enjoy!

Forgot to tell you I made this the other weekend for that pot luck. Everyone loved them! At first I wasn’t sure, thought they were really sweet, but then I couldn’t stop eating them🙂. They disappeared FAST

No, it shouldn’t be watery. It’s thick like caramel. How much liquid did you add? Always start with the lowest amount and add more if need be. Also, if you use dates that are already pitted, you may need a little less liquid. These dates tend to be smaller than those with pits. My recommendation would be to try pureeing more dates into the mixture.

Hi, my name is Alisa! I am a health and wellness enthusiast living in Portland, Oregon with my husband, Jesse and our cats, Dutch and Frankie. I am passionate about living, moving and eating well, and love inspiring others to do so too. I currently work as a personal trainer in NW and NE Portland.

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